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Before becoming synonymous with popular cars, FIAT was a giant in agribusiness with robust tractors. Understand the trajectory and transformation that led to the end of the brand in agricultural machinery.
Many associate FIAT with best-selling cars, but there was a time when the brand was a dominant force in the Brazilian countryside, synonymous with sturdy and reliable tractors. These robust machines, which marked agricultural mechanization, especially in the post-war period, left a longing and a question: what happened to FIAT tractors?
FIAT's history in the agricultural machinery sector is full of innovation and twists. It started in Italy, expanded globally and had a fundamental chapter in Brazil, culminating in a transformation that gave rise to a new agricultural giant, but which kept the legacy alive.
FIAT Trattori: from Italy to the world, the beginning of an agricultural force
The brand’s journey into agribusiness began in 1918, just after World War I, with the launch of the Fiat 702 tractor. It was a simple, gasoline-powered but robust machine, ideal for the devastated fields of Europe. Its success led to the creation of Fiat Trattori.
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In the following years, new models appeared, including crawler tractors such as the 700C. The big leap forward came in 1932 with the Fiat 705C, the brand's first with a diesel engine. World War II interrupted production, but in 1946, the Fiat 50, a diesel tractor developed in secret, marked the revival, which would soon cross the ocean.
Nationalization and rise of Fiatallis
The first FIAT tractors arrived in Brazil in the 50s, imported and assembled in São Paulo. They were so successful that, in the late 60s, with the National Tracked Tractor Plan, FIAT entered the program to nationalize the AD7 model. In 1971, after acquiring a factory in Contagem (MG), the first national FIAT tractors were produced.
In 1973, FIAT partnered with Allis-Chalmers, creating Fiatallis the following year. The new company expanded its line, absorbing Eaton's industrial equipment division and beginning to produce wheel loaders. The 80s consolidated Fiatallis, which also began to manufacture motor graders and became a production center for Latin America.
The strategic shift: the union with Ford in the agricultural sector
In the early 90s, despite its success and exports to several countries, economic instability in Brazil and the need for global strengthening led FIAT to a crucial decision. In 1991, the company purchased Ford's agricultural division, creating the holding company NH Geotec.
This merger brought together two powerhouses: the tradition of Fiat Trattori and the strength of Ford Tractors. Initially, operations remained separate, but under the same global group, with a focus on efficiency and international goals.
New Holland is born
The union of the two brands would not remain separate for long. The transition to a single brand, New Holland, began discreetly. First, FIAT tractors began to adopt the blue color, inherited from Ford. Later, the name Fiat New Holland emerged.
Shortly afterwards, the tractors disappeared from dealerships. The traditional orange line was replaced by the blue New Holland line that we know today. Many models that carried the FIAT name were renamed, but the technical heritage, the robustness of the engines and transmissions, remained. This was the official end of Fiat Trattori as a brand, but its legacy lived on. The passion for the old orange tractors is still seen in meetings and in memory of those who worked with these durable machines.
But what about the CASE tractor brand? Can't it be considered the agricultural division of FIAT?
This story continues as follows. In the early 2000s, New Holland and Case IH formed CNH. Today, CNH is an agricultural and construction equipment division. They manage two brands assembled at the Cutitiba, Sorocaba and Piracicaba plants for agricultural products. Construction products are assembled in MG and Sorocaba.
The answer is as follows: Case IH can be considered a brand of the agricultural division of FIAT in my opinion. It is the continuation of the story.